Not Just A Puppet
by Saddened Namine
Summary: Replica Riku was created to protect Namine, right? Everyone who's played the game knows that he got upset that he was just a copy, but can Namine help him understand that he does have a Heart? Namiku!
1. Warnings

**Kingdom Hearts**

_Not Just A Puppet_

By Saddened Naminé

* * *

Part I

_Warnings

* * *

_

A fourteen-year-old girl sat in a pearl white chair in the middle of the room. She had long, light blonde hair with some darker blonde under the bright colored area, soft blue eyes staring down at the sketchbook in her lap. She smiled as she drew a rather detailed picture of a boy standing in the ocean with the water knee-deep to him. The golden pencil with a small rose at its eraser never left the piece of paper.

"Naminé!" an angry voice would shout from down the long corridor beyond the large, open doors entering the beautifully, pure white room.

The girl looked up right away, eyes wide with fright as she realized what was coming. She quickly closed the sketchbook and twirled the pencil on her finger; the writing utensil disappearing with a small burst of gold sparkles. She gulped as she watched a man with long red hair in many large spikes enter the room, and he didn't look happy.

"Y-Yes, Lord Axel…?" asked the small girl known as Naminé, gulping.

The tall man folded his black-sleeved arms, glaring down at her with flaming green eyes.

"Just what exactly have you done to Lexaeus…?"

Naminé's eyes widened at this question, "Wha… What do you mean? Did something happen to him? Where is he?"

The red-haired man known as Axel scowled at her in disgust, "You should know! _You're _the one who brought this fate upon him! He's been killed!"

The blonde-haired girl was very surprised to hear of this event, but she had enough sense to shake her head.

"I… I didn't do it…"

"What was that? Did you say something, you little_ Witch_?"

"I didn't do it…" Naminé repeated, more loudly this time, "I couldn't have… Lexaeus was… my friend…"

Axel snorted, "Friend? You really are stupid… No one in this Castle considers anyone a friend. You can't trust anyone; even _Marluxia_ knows that!"

The girl looked away from those intimidating green eyes, down at her closed sketchbook. She felt horrible, as if she would cry. Although her tears did begin to cloud her eyesight, she would not let them fall. Sadness was a sign of weakness, and this was not the best thing to do in front of Axel, of all people.

"Aww… Have I struck a nerve?"

Naminé's tears disappeared as she looked back up at him with a stubborn look, a frown on her face.

"Is that all you came to tell me? Because, if so, I'm sure you have more important things to attend to than to be staying here with a worthless witch…"

Axel's amused face changed into that of an angry one, a frown spreading across his lips as well. He scowled once more.

"You better think before you speak or act,_ witch…_ Or else, you'll be sorry…"

Naminé's look did not waver; she just stared up at him with that almost annoyed face.

"You said it yourself… I'm a witch, which means I can worm my way out of anything with the use of magic." She explained, her eyes closed. Those once soft eyes reopened to show the man ice cold hues, "… Try as you might, but _Marluxia _wants me alive. You cannot kill me, even if you tried."

Axel sneered, "We'll see about that…"

He turned around and walked out of the large room, leaving Naminé in her familiarly safe silence. The girl sighed, leaning her head back into the chair as her ice eyes changed back into soft ones. A worried look crossed her face.

"What is he… up to…?"

* * *

Naminé looked around the room; many Unknowns in the Organization had gathered together in this room. Why? She had no clue.

Vexen was being his normally unusual self again, sitting in his little corner with his note pad. Probably drawing stupid ideas again… Naminé had seen what that girlie man drew in that little pad, and it was not pretty.

Larxene was doing her best not to zap the hell out of Vexen for his rambling about his new idea of Colored Fizzy Drinks. Boy, did _she _look annoyed!

Zexion sat in another of the chairs, his chin resting in his hand as he leaned on it. He'd stare down at the floor as if he were bored.

Marluxia was walking out of the room to who-knows-where, and Axel was nowhere in sight.

Naminé tilted her head some, where _was_ Axel, anyway? And what about that strange man… the Enigmatic Man? She'd shrug, looking back down at her sketchbook when she felt a presence behind her, watching over her shoulder at what she would draw.

She smiled softly as her golden pencil appeared in her hand instantly. She'd turn the sketchbook to a blank page and began to draw a figure, a boy.

The boy's body and clothes would appear as she drew them at a swift speed, but not an abnormal speed. The Heartless outfit, the black heart over his chest… Long platinum hair was shining behind him as he held that bat winged-sword in his hand. That pose showed that he was ready for a battling match, but his face stood out most of all. Those brightly clear eyes showed the perfect emotion that showed slight anger, but straight out control.

Upon finishing this masterpiece, she at last took the pencil from the paper and smiled. She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Do you like the way I drew you, Riku…?" she asked, that smile still on her face.

"It's… very nice… But why do you draw it if you know it'll get ruined soon enough?" the boy asked from behind her.

Naminé turned around with her smile's emotion changing to that of sadness. The boy who'd asked her the question looked exactly like the one from the picture she'd just drawn, except he didn't hold that sword… and his eyes were a dull color of blue, not as bright and clear as the ocean.

"It's just to pass the time… If it does get ruined, I'll just draw another one."

"Why draw something that does not even exist…?" Replica Riku asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

Naminé couldn't help giggling at this, "Doesn't exist? Oh, please, Riku… Stop kidding yourself! You exist! Besides, it's all for the fun of it!"

Replica Riku looked down at the floor, still confused. He didn't understand this at all. Fun? What was this _'fun'_? He felt no emotions, for he was just a copy, an obedient little pet that would do anything that anyone said. However, the only emotion that he probably was able to feel was… Well… It may not even be an emotion, but all he could feel was Numbness.

Suddenly, the Enigmatic Man appeared out of nowhere, standing right beside Naminé. He then spoke slowly.

"… Draw something…"

Naminé looked up at him in confusion, but nonetheless, opened her Sketchbook to a blank page and then looked back up at the man.

"Draw something as in _anything_, or something as in something _in particular_?" she asked, blinking.

"Draw… the Castle Oblivion…"

Naminé would blink again, shrugging as she looked down and began to draw the Castle Oblivion the way she knew it looked like in her head.

Replica Riku walked over to the opposing wall, leaning his back against it and folding his arms over his chest. He looked down at the clean white floor, thinking.

_'What's the purpose of this Castle…? Why must we stay here? I should just take Naminé and get out of here… False or not, a Promise is a Promise… I'd still have to protect her…' _he thought.

The Enigmatic Man turned around to face the Replica Riku, walking over to the boy. His hooded form seemed almost like a ghost, his feet unseen as onlookers watched him float.

"If you think your stay here is in vain, then allow me to test your strength, _Puppet_…"

Replica Riku looked up at the Enigmatic Man's intimidating form, but he was not afraid. He merely looked back down at the floor, eyes closed, before asking.

"Why do battle with me? If I am as you say, just a Puppet, then why fight me?"

"It is because that is what Puppet Toys are made for… For playing with." The Enigmatic Man replied with an evil chuckle.

Replica Riku held his hand to his side, the SoulEater Keyblade appearing in his grasp.

"As you wish, then… But be aware, if you break this toy, it may not come back… Considering that it has no Heart…"

Naminé snapped up at hearing this sentence leave Replica Riku's lips. She stood up immediately, dropping her sketchbook and pencil as she ran up to him, a worried look on her face.

"That's not true, Riku! You _do_ have a Heart!" she exclaimed, "If you didn't have a Heart, then you wouldn't even be here!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Replica Riku shouted at the girl angrily, the flames of sadness burning in his dull eyes.

Naminé took a step back, eyes wide in surprise at the fact that he'd just snapped at her, but she took it. She closed her eyes for a moment, small tears at the ends of her eyes as she looked up at the Enigmatic Man with a sad smile.

"Very well… Do what you want with him… I won't stand in the way any more…"

With that said, she turned around and walked off, picking up her chair and moving it over to an unoccupied corner. The chair now faced the wall with just enough room between the wall and the front of the chair so that Naminé's small legs wouldn't get crushed. A trashcan was in the very corner beside the chair, empty since Vexen usually took everything from the trashcan and used it for any of his stupid experiments.

She sighed, sitting down and opening her sketchbook over her lap, gold pencil in her hand as she tried to think of something to draw, something other than the battle that would take place right behind her.

* * *

Replica Riku stared after Naminé, some type of feeling coming over him as he did so. His dull, teal blue eyes were wide and had turned the color Naminé had only dreamt of, bright and clear as the ocean's blue. He now knew the feeling that had swept over his person; Regret.

"N-Naminé!" he began, reaching out a hand toward her as if to stop her, but the Enigmatic Man stepped between him and the girl he wished to apologize to.

"Leave her alone; _I_ am your opponent…"

Replica Riku narrowed his eyes, glaring up at the Enigmatic Man. He growled, lowering his hand as he got into his fighting stance, the SoulEater held up near the side of the right hand side of his face.

"Fine…"

Two red light sabers appeared in the Enigmatic Man's hands, he did a bunch of spins as he attempted to deal a lot of damage to the so-called puppet.

Replica Riku held up his SoulEater Keyblade, managing to block most of the attacks, but that Unknown who was his opponent had managed to get him with two of his eight sets of blows.

He was pushed back, left off guard as the Enigmatic Man unleashed a large circle of smaller red circles. Each small circle of flames turned into a beam and went out straight toward Replica Riku.

Replica Riku jumped back for the first three, then did a back flip to dodge another two. He looked up again, eyes widening right away as he saw five more of those fire beams zoom toward him. He was sent back into the wall once the five beams crashed into him.

He tried to sit up weakly, grunting as he did so.

Naminé could not stay quiet any longer; the sounds of the battle behind her were horrible! She turned around and shouted,

"Riku! You have to use Dark Aura!"

Replica Riku's one open eye looked in her direction as he answered,

"That's what he _wants_ me to do!"

There was an evil laughter coming from the only entrance/exit to the room; Naminé turned and gasped at what she saw.

It was Axel.

The tall, red-haired man was amused at how weak Replica Riku seemed in battle compared to the Enigmatic Man; and not only that, he was laughing at how worried Naminé was getting over this!

It was then that she realized; Axel was the one who told the Enigmatic Man to fight Replica Riku! Why? Because that untrustworthy man knew there was no way he could physically wound Naminé, but what about mentally? He knew she had feelings for Riku!

Naminé glared at Axel, standing up. She placed her sketchbook on the floor beside the chair and not near the trashcan. In her hand was that golden pencil, and she held it out in front of her.

"Reveal to me the Staff of Golden Roses," she whispered to herself.

The small pencil grew into a long staff with a golden rose at its top, the silver tracing of a large Heart was around the rose. The stick of the Staff was silver as well, but Naminé paid no mind to that. She twirled it in her hand for a moment before running over to the fight.

Replica Riku pulled himself up into a sitting position, the Enigmatic Man walking slowly toward him. Riku's eyes were wide as he realized what was happening. He tried to scramble to his feet, but he slipped and fell again.

The Enigmatic Man stopped three yards away from Riku, holding his palm out toward the boy.

"Say Good Night_… Puppet_…"

A crackling blue crystal light flew out from his hand toward Replica Riku. Riku didn't know what to do, so he just sat there, watching the oncoming attack. His eyes snapped shut as it came nearer.

He heard a girlish grunt from in front of him, opening his eyes to see Naminé standing there, blocking the attack with a silver staff that had a Gold Rose on it. He felt another new feeling; Surprise.

"N-Naminé?"

The blonde-haired girl turned her head slightly so that Riku could see one of her soft blue eyes and the side of one sweet smile.

"I couldn't sit there and let you die…" she answered the question he had yet to ask.

Replica Riku's surprised face changed to one that had no emotion whatsoever again.

Naminé frowned at this, but turned back to the Enigmatic Man, who'd been keeping that attack going so she'd be stuck there blocking.

She finally got bored with it and redirected the attack at the ceiling, forcing the man to stop and look up at what she'd done. The Enigmatic Man looked back to her, folding his arms.

"Well, I guess that was the limit to how much fun you'll let me have with him…?" he asked, not really expecting an answer, "I'm leaving…"

He walked toward them, going around Naminé, but walking right through Replica Riku as he disappeared through the wall as well.

Naminé's Staff minimized into the pencil once more as she turned around to face Riku. She fell to her knees and looked him over.

"Are you all right…?"

Replica Riku got to his feet with effortlessly, but with hidden pain.

"I'm… fine…"

Naminé stood up after him, taking him by his arm, "Are you sure?"

Replica Riku winced a bit as she touched his arm, closing one eye at its pain. The girl took this hint and tapped his arm with the Rose Eraser end of her pencil.

_"See_…? You should tell me about these things before you get hurt even worse!"

The boy looked away from her as she healed him with a Curaga spell, "Why did you… help me…?"

Naminé tilted her head with a small smile on her face, "I couldn't just sit there and listen as you got killed… Riku, if I were to lose you, I don't think I'd be able to take living here in Castle Oblivion anymore."

Replica Riku was confused by this emotion of which he was feeling. He felt his cheeks grow warm with a small blush as he looked up at her face, blushing even more when he saw that smile.

He looked away from her again quickly, attempting to hide his blush.

"Naminé… Tell me this… Would you miss me if I were to disappear…?"

Naminé nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Of course, I would, Riku! Don't you ever think that I don't miss you when you aren't around here with me… Now that Lexaeus is gone, you're my only friend left…"

Replica Riku looked up at her once more, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

"… Thank you…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt this Hallmark Moment…" an all-too familiarly annoying voice spoke to the two.

Naminé and Riku turned their heads to see Axel standing there, an angry frown on his face.

"Be aware,_ Witch,_ that if you go too far with anything or anyone in this Organization, you'll have to pay for it later."

Replica Riku took a step in front of Naminé, holding an arm out in front of her as if to protect her from that horror that was Axel.

"Then I will protect her from whatever plans you have… You have no right to threaten Naminé like that without the permission of Marluxia or the Superior!"

Axel tilted his head back a bit, smirking with a short chuckle, "Well,_ somebody _is acting over protective…"

"Hey Puppet! Get your ass over here!" Larxene shouted.

Replica Riku gave Axel one last glare before turning and walking off toward Larxene, leaving Axel and Naminé alone to _'talk.'_

"Why are you doing this, Axel? I didn't do anything to provoke anyone, so why are you being so hard on me?" the blonde asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Because, my Dear, it's what I do… Especially to people who take the lives of one of their own." Was Axel's answer.

"But I said I didn't do it!" Naminé insisted, "Lexaeus was my friend, I would never do anything so much as to hurt him!"

"Say what you will, _Witch… _I'm_ not_ convinced… And neither is anybody else. If you want to survive living in this Castle, you'll have to go by my—I mean… our rules…"

Naminé folded her arms at that statement, turning her body a quarter away from him.

Axel bent over and placed both his black-gloved hands on each of her shoulders, whispering into her ear.

"For your wrongdoings, you'll be sorry for them all later…"

The girl turned around and slapped the man across the cheek, turning back and walking to her chair.

Axel's green eyes gleamed, the grin on his face showing amusement. He rubbed his cheek a bit, wincing a bit.

"Strong little witch, isn't she…" he mumbled to himself as he left.

Replica Riku walked back over to Naminé, a frown on his face, "I'm sorry… I'll have to leave the Castle for the time being."

Naminé looked up at him with wide eyes, "What! Why?"

Riku shrugged, "Larxene told me to go grab a few things from the real Traverse Town. But don't worry, I won't be long."

Naminé nodded, watching him leave. She gulped; what if Axel was trying to get Riku away from her so he could strike an attack on her or something…? She sure hoped not; she really wanted to be alive when Replica Riku came back.


	2. Payback

Kingdom Hearts

_Not Just A Puppet_

By Saddened Naminé

* * *

Part II

_Payback

* * *

_

Naminé sighed, sitting in her wall-facing chair as she stared down at her closed sketchbook. What was wrong with her? Why did most of the people in the Organization hate her so? Was it really just because she had magical powers? No, it couldn't be… Considering that everybody else has them, too.

She opened her sketchbook up to a blank page; her golden rose pencil appeared in her hand with a small rush of sparkles. She put the pencil lead to the paper, drawing out the image in her head. Her eyes were half-closed, and she didn't even know what her fingers were sketching.

There was a loud_ **clang**_ sound heard behind her. She snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head, seeing nothing. She was confused for a moment, turning her head back to the book. Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd just drawn.

It was the Guillotine Square in Halloween Town, with Riku in a Halloween outfit that made him look almost like Dracula. He still looked cool in this picture, but she was surprised that she'd draw, or even think of drawing such a thing! Maybe it was because she wanted so badly to leave this Castle Oblivion, and also because she missed Replica Riku so much.

It'd only been two hours since he left, but she was all ready feeling lonely. Why couldn't Marluxia send her with him? Or maybe send somebody else so that she could spend more time with Riku? Well, it's too late to be asking these questions since Riku's all ready gone.

There was another loud sound as if something dropped behind her. She quickly closed her sketchbook, standing up and placing it on her seat. She walked toward the large doors that lead out of the pearl white room, hiding around its side as she peeked into the hall.

Her bright blue eyes grew wide at what she saw; Axel was holding one of the other Unknowns by their neck and held them two feet from the ground. His emerald green eyes shined devilishly as he heard the choked breaths of the person he was attempting murder on.

"How does it feel, Zexion…? To be in the same place I put Lexaeus only but a day ago…"

Naminé quietly gasped upon hearing this. Axel was just blaming the death of Lexaeus on her so he could stay in the trusted area of the Organization! One thing puzzled her, however. Why would he go after _Zexion_ and not _her_ after purposely warning her? Unless Zexion found out that Axel killed Lexaeus and was going to tell Marluxia and the Superior!

The blonde-haired girl put her finger to her lips, biting it in an attempt not to scream or say anything. She had to stay hidden lest she end up in the same place as Zexion right now. She turned around and scurried back off to her chair, picking up her sketchbook and looking through the pages. She stopped on the 17th page to look at the picture of Riku she'd drawn that morning of him with his SoulEater Keyblade.

Oh, how she wished he were here… Then the two of them could go after Axel and reveal to everyone that he's the one slowly, one-by-one, killing everyone. Only question now is… Would they believe her? They all ready thought she was the one who killed Lexaeus, so what would stop them from believing Axel's lie that she killed Zexion, too?

Naminé began to bite on her finger again as she thought, it was then that she heard a soft heap drop to the floor. She knew exactly what it was the minute she heard it…

It had been Zexion's dead body.

She whimpered at the thought of the man dead on the white floor, trying to keep her tears from falling. Lexaeus and Zexion were dead, and everyone was blaming it all on her. She closed her eyes tightly, whispering to herself just barely above a whisper.

"… Riku…"

* * *

Replica Riku sighed as he exited the Item Shop in Traverse Town, looking around the town from where he stood. There were two trees on either side of the huge door that lead to the entrance/exit of that world, and there were many people standing around and walking about.

'_All of them have lost their own worlds, no doubt…'_ he thought carelessly, a brown paper bag held under his arm.

He felt something small and wet fall onto his shoulder. Looking up, Replica Riku watched as many more drops of water fell from the sky in a rain shower. He blinked once, and then looked back to the front of him as he remembered something that Naminé had told him once.

_If you ever see it start to rain, Riku, please remember that it symbolizes sadness. Know that someone, somewhere is feeling very sad, or maybe is in trouble and needs your help._

Thunder could be heard in the distance, bringing another memory to him.

_Thunderstorms? Oh, that means that there is Impending Danger. Something bad will happen in the near future._

Replica Riku's senses came back to him by the ending of that memory. He sprinted off toward the World Exit Door, pushing them open as he ran down the invisible road back toward the Castle Oblivion.

_'Don't worry, Naminé, I'm coming…'

* * *

_

Naminé took her pencil into her hand, opening her sketchbook up to a random picture, and began to immediately act like she was actually working on it.

The Enigmatic Man appeared behind her, staring down by her side at what she was drawing. His hood covered over his face so she couldn't tell out of the corner of her eye if he was satisfied or anything like that.

"What may I ask is this?"

The blonde tilted her head in confusion at him, but then she looked down at the sketch. Her eyes widened; it was that picture of Halloween Town and Riku in a Vampire outfit. She gulped, slowly looking back up at the hooded Unknown.

"Umm… A drawing…?"

The Enigmatic Man was not amused; he took a step backward, away from her. Naminé couldn't tell what he was about to do, so like any curious teen, she turned her head slightly to steal a glance.

The Unknown was now holding onto his two red Light sabers, and his hood seemed to be staring straight at her. The man jumped high over her and turned in midair so he stood a yard or two away, facing her.

Naminé gasped as the Enigmatic Man rushed forward in an attempt to slice her into three pieces. However, there was the sound of a door opening. He lowered his attack and merely cut off the two front legs of the chair.

The girl fell forward, the chairs back on her back. Tears filled her eyes as she stared down at the clean white floor that was about a foot and a half away from her face.

"Naminé…?" a voice asked.

She looked up right away, seeing Replica Riku standing there in the doorway. He was dripping wet and panting as if he'd just run a marathon.

"What are you doing here, _Boy_? Didn't Larxene tell you to go to Traverse Town and gather some items?" the Enigmatic Man hissed, now facing the Replica.

Riku scoffed, throwing the brown bag at him, "Mission accomplished… I can stay here with Naminé now."

The hooded Unknown caught the bag, turning around and walking through the wall as an exit. He didn't seem happy.

Naminé stared at Replica Riku with a teary-eyed relief, "R-Riku… You came…"

Replica Riku ran to her side, bending down beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Naminé… What happened here? What did the Enigmatic Man do to you?"

The blonde-haired girl tried to answer, but it only brought on more tears. She buried her face in her hands and leaned into Riku's shoulder, sobbing.

"Huh? Naminé, please tell what's wrong." He asked again.

He now felt a new emotion come to him; he was worried about her. What could have happened to make her cry so? He wrapped his arms around her, hugging in an attempt to comfort her.

Naminé couldn't stop her crying, not for long enough to answer, at least. Eventually she pulled away from him, still sniffling. She would then take a deep breath before speaking in an almost choked voice.

"The Enigmatic Man… Tr-Tried to kill me," she smiled sadly, "I'm so glad… That you came when you did."

"I am, too, Naminé," he agreed, pulling her back into an embrace, "I am, too…"

* * *

A man with long, dirty blonde hair stood hidden in a corner, watching Naminé and Replica Riku with a disgusted look on his face.

"What is this? Is my Replica developing feelings for Marluxia's _Witch_?"

"It _sure_ looks that way, doesn't it, Vexen?" another Unknown asked.

The girlie man jumped, looking to his right to see a girl with lightning blonde hair staring at the young teens. She was smirking.

"Larxene! When'd you get here?"

"A second ago, Vexie… Are you losing your touch? You used to be able to tell when I was coming from a mile away…"

Vexen folded his arms, turning around so that his back was facing the Lightning Lady.

"Hmph! You just _love_ teasing me, don't you?"

"Hah… You barely found out right this second? Oh my, you _are_ losing it…" Larxene replied, smirking.

"Enough about that!" the scientist exclaimed, turning back around and pointing at Naminé and Replica Riku, "My pet project is hitting on the Marluxia's Witch! How could this have happened? I created him so that he had no emotions whatsoever!"

Larxene folded her arms in thought, closing her eyes for a moment before reopening them and looking to him.

"He is a person though, right? Can he learn things?"

"Well, of course! My Replica wouldn't have been a success if I didn't install a learning capability!" Vexen answered proudly, smiling to himself at the memory of his successful project.

"Then there you go, you Blockhead… And you call yourself a Scientist?" she teased, shaking her head.

"Huh? What did you find out that I didn't?"

"He's_ learning_ how to _feel_, Einstein…"

Vexen jumped at that realization, turning around and running off to his dark little corner. He took out his notepad and began to draw and write strange things in it as he tried to come up with something or other.

Larxene sighed, walking out of the room while mumbling what sounded like, "What an idiotic asshole…"

* * *

Naminé sighed, getting up from the floor. Replica Riku had gone off somewhere, so she was left alone there in the room. She looked down at her broken chair, close to tears once again. How could the Enigmatic Man do that to her? Especially if she has the protection of Marluxia's Word on her side! Could Axel have hired him in any way to harm her? It sounded like an idea he'd have, so it was possible.

She walked out of the room; the sketchbook was under her arm and her pencil was placed behind her ear. Wandering about the Castle, she came to a room she'd never noticed before. The door was open by a crack, and music came out from the inside. Naminé walked to the side and peered in through the crack, smiling gently at what she saw.

Replica Riku sat in the room at the large instrument known as the Grand Piano. His fingers lightly pressed on each key to create a soft melodic sound of musical song. His eyes were half-closed and his face was unreadable, just like always.

The song seemed familiar to Naminé, like she'd heard it before or something like it. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to listen in harder. Was Replica Riku singing?

Replica Riku didn't notice her at all, so he continued playing the piano and singing to himself softly. Naminé could faintly make out the words he sang.

"Oh, Naminé… Do not be afraid; always I'll protect you so you will not fade. Always I'll protect you so you will not fade." He sang quietly as the song went on, "Naminé… You'll find a way… We'll find a way to leave. Trust me now, I'll help you out of here…"

Naminé smiled gently as she realized that he'd written a song to her. She slowly pushed open the door; it creaked.

Replica Riku immediately stopped, turning toward the door with a small blush on his cheeks.

"N-Naminé! D-Did you hear that?"

He was feeling so embarrassed right now; he really hoped she didn't hear his song. Unfortunate for him, she did.

Although, Naminé didn't want to embarrass him any further, so she just smiled and asked.

"Hear what?"

Replica Riku sighed in relief, looking back up at her with an emotionless grin.

"Nothing…" he replied, "What are you doing here?"

The blonde-haired girl shrugged, holding her sketchbook behind her back with both hands. She walked closer into the room until she was right beside him.

"Nothing really… I was just bored, so I came looking for you." She smiled that sweet smile of hers, "And look! I found you!"

Riku let a short chuckle escape his mouth as he looked back down at the piano keys, trying to hide his reddened face.

"So then… You just came wandering about, looking for me?" he asked, his grin changing into a frown, "What would've happened if one of the other Unknowns had found you on your way here?"

Naminé shrugged, "They would've scolded me for leaving that room, but I don't care, I just really needed to find you."

The platinum-haired teen looked up at her with a look that she'd been longing to see for a very long time; the emotion of surprise with the accompaniment of clear sea green eyes. Smiling, she sat down beside him on the piano bench and held her sketchbook in her lap as she stared him in the face

"Riku… You look so perfect right now… I wish you would always have that look in your eyes…"

Replica Riku cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of his tomato red blush. He looked away from her before looking back at her with a real smile.

"Hey, how about we get out of here and go back to that room of yours…? I can help you fix your chair, if you want."

Naminé closed her eyes for a moment as if thinking, but she was actually just giggling, "I'd like that…"

* * *

Axel would watch as the two teens left the Piano Room on the 12th Floor of Castle Oblivion. His arms were folded as he leaned against the wall in the shadows, emerald hues almost glowing. His knowing smirk would tell anyone who saw it that he had a plan.

He disappeared into the blackness of the hall, somehow reappearing in the Basement Floor of the Castle. He opened the door from the stairs to a very large room that had many strange things inside of it.

There were many tables with glass containers on top of them; the containers were filled with colored fluid that Axel thought he shouldn't get too close to unless necessary. His eyes would scan the room until they found what he was looking for; Vexen.

The dirty-haired scientist stood over one of the tables with his hair tied up into a high ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way of his experiment, non-prescription glasses on his face. He really didn't need them; they just made him feel smart.

Axel approached him, seeing that Vexen hadn't realized he was there. Smirking, the flame-haired Unknown stood directly behind Vexen, leaning over to whisper into his ear.

"Boo."

The Scientist jumped up with a yelp of fear, turning around quickly with a hand over his heart. His neon green eyes went wide in surprise at the sight of Axel right in front of him. However, it was also this fact that calmed him down somewhat. He took a deep breath in relief.

"Oh… Axel, it's just you…"

"Just me? Who were you expecting, Larxene?" Axel asked, folding his arms with an amused smirk on his face.

"Actually, yes… That girl just doesn't know when to give up! She keeps coming into my lab and trying to find out my new ideas! And what's worse… I tell her!" Vexen explained, sighing as he took off his unneeded glasses, "Silly thing is that she seems to get annoyed with my telling her… She tries so hard to get it out of me, only to be irritated by what she wanted me to say!"

"Yes… Women are quite strange creatures…"

"I'll say! You should have seen what Marluxia's witch had done to my pet Replica! She's ruining my perfect piece of work!"

"Is she, now… How would you say she's 'ruining' your little puppet?"

Vexen leaned back toward the table, shrugging, "She's taking advantage of his learning capability and is forcing him to learn how to feel! It's because of this problem that he's developing feelings for the girl! It's Driving Me Mad!"

If Vexen were not so obsessed with his hair, he probably would have pulled the majority out of his head while saying this. Although, he did tear many of his most valuable notes out of his little notepad. Upon realizing this, he swiftly gathered them all up and whined.

"Oh! Now why did I go and do something like that…?"

Axel turned around and headed for the door. He had all the information he needed, now all he needed was to set his plan into play. Whether or not he would be able to pull this off, he knew he'd have to do it _some_ time!

* * *

Naminé happily sat down in her new chair, testing to see if it would break under her weight. Surprisingly, it didn't. She squealed in excitement, jumping up to her feet and hugging Replica Riku tightly in thanks.

"Thank you so much, Riku!"

Replica Riku laughed a bit, trying to keep himself from falling backwards and wind up with the _both_ of them on the floor. Somehow, it didn't seem like a very bad idea. Be it his own thought, or one the Original Riku would have, it mattered not, for it was _he_ who had Naminé, not the other Riku.

Naminé smiled, pulling away from him and giving him a small wink. That was enough to make him blush up a storm! She would giggle at that before a surprised look suddenly appeared on her face as she fell down to her knees.

The Replica bent down beside her immediately, putting his hands on her shoulders. He tried to bring her back up straight, but his hands went right through her as the girl began to become transparent. His eyes were wide as he stared in fear at her.

"What is this manner of sorcery?"

The blonde-haired girl looked up at him; a sad smile was on her face as she began to speak.

"I-It's all right… I just… have to go… for now…"

Replica Riku shook his head as droplets of developing tears began to cloud his vision, "No… Naminé, please… Don't leave…"

"I'll be right back…" Naminé declared as she reached out a hand to his face, her finger lightly brushing away the one tear that escaped down his cheek, "… I promise…"

After saying this, she would slowly fade away completely until there was nothing there at all. Replica Riku stared at this spot for a very long time, still shocked that things were going so well for them, and she just disappeared before his eyes! How could he let this happen…? Is this what the real Riku would have done?

He got up from the clean white floor, fists clenched tightly. He looked up at the ceiling, knowing that nobody was around. Replica Riku spoke aloud,

"I'm sorry, Naminé… But I must leave the Castle for the time being… I may not be here when you return, but I'll be back nonetheless."

He held a hand out to his side; the SoulEater Key appeared in his grasp. Turning around to walk down the hall toward the entrance/exit to the Castle Oblivion, he looked over his shoulder back into the room that he and Naminé had always been confined in. A small smile spread across his lips as he exited the large building.


End file.
